An historic milestone – Malawi graduates its first group of home-trained dentists

In 2016, I met Dr Mwapatsa Mipando, then Principal of the University of Malawi College of Medicine (COM), during a visit he was making with academic colleagues to the University of Glasgow (UofG). The purpose of the visit was to identify possible areas for biomedical research collaboration. It was an extremely successful visit, resulting in the establishment of a very strong partnership between COM and the UofG College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences. On the biomedical front, the very successful Blantyre Blantyre Project was initiated, but Dr Mipando had also intimated the ambition of COM to set up a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree programme, following two unsuccessful attempts in previous years.

During his stay in Glasgow, Dr Mipando and I agreed to meet at 8.00am one morning over a cup of coffee to discuss possibilities, and that marked the beginning of The MalDent Project. Concrete activities started in 2017 and culminated in the graduation of Malawi’s first home-trained dentists on 30th April 2025 – the basis of this blog post.

Shortly before the date of the graduation ceremony, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS – formerly the University of Malawi College of Medicine) released the following press statement which summarises succinctly the background to the inaugural BDS graduation and the many partners involved:

It was a great privilege for me to have been invited by the Vice-Chancellor of KUHeS, Professor Macpherson Mallewa, to attend this graduation ceremony at which Malawi’s first home-trained dentists would receive their degrees. These would be conferred by the State President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, who is the Chancellor of the University of Malawi.

The first cohort of BDS students had commenced their degree at the University of Malawi College of Medicine, before the establishment of KUHeS, so their graduation took place in the Great Hall of the University of Malawi in Zomba.

Once we had parked the car, Peter and I made our way to the robing room to prepare for the ceremony. There we met several colleagues from the dental teaching staff:

At the appointed time, we joined a staff procession into the Great Hall and onto the stage. This was followed by the procession of Executive Deans, then the Council members and finally the Chancellor’s Procession. Music was provided by the beautiful singing of the Congregation Choir and the rousing tones of the Malawi Police Band.

Following the University of Malawi Anthem and a Congregation prayer there were speeches from Dr Christopher Guta, Chairperson of the University of Malawi Council, Professor Samson Sajidu, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malawi, and His Excellency Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi and Chancellor of the University of Malawi.

After these remarks were finished, the award of Certificates, Diplomas and Degrees began. Between each graduate a drum sounded and for candidates achieving First Class Honours or Distinctions, the audience rose to its feet, clapped and sounded horns. It was a very joyful occasion.

The moment we had all been waiting for arrived when Dr Wakisa Mulwafu, Executive Dean of the School of Medicine and Oral Health, announced the presentation of our pioneer group of BDS students to receive their degrees. The conferring of their degrees was prefaced with their recitation of the Medical Oath. You can listen to this historic moment in the following video:

As we emerged from the graduation, the security was tight on account of the President’s attendance at the graduation:

As the new graduates began to pour out of the hall, it. rapidly became chaotic and we were uncertain whether we would be able to link up with the new young dentists for a photo.

However, unknown to us at the time, the dental graduates had been ushered out of the Great Hall early and were having their photograph taken with the President:

They subsequently emerged and our photo opportunity arrived after all:

I was delighted to be able to capture a picture with Esther Khomba and Chifundo Banda, who had visited us in Glasgow for three weeks last year for an elective visit, generously funded by the HOPE Foundation of the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Glasgow.

I have sat through many graduation ceremonies over the years in the UK but this was the first I had ever attended in Malawi and I was struck by the exuberance and joy displayed by all who were present. The next two video clips provide a glimpse of the atmosphere at a Malawian graduation, both inside the Great Hall as the graduates and guests are leaving …

… and outside, as the new graduates, families and friends emerge into bright sunshine:

It was a very happy and emotional event for all of us, and as Peter Chimimba and I made our way to the robing hall again to prepare for the drive back to Blantyre we had much to reflect upon. Once in the car, we decided to head to the Sunbird Ku Chawe Hotel on the Zomba Plateau for a light lunch. I had never visited this venue previously and really enjoyed the winding mountain road and spectacular views on the way to the hotel.

That evening the Vice-Chancellor of KUHeS, Professor Macpherson Mallewa, had arranged a dinner for the new dental graduates and KUHeS staff at the Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel in Blantyre. Professor Mallewa opened the evening with a talk in which he reflected that he had been in the first cohort of MB BS graduates from KUHeS (then the University of Malawi College of Medicine) and felt a real empathy with this first group of BDS graduates.

Professor Benjamin Kumwenda, who acted as Master of Ceremonies for the evening, invited some of us to say a few words and to reflect on the progress made so far in our efforts to improve oral health in Malawi.

I was delighted that Ruth Maluwa from the Malawi Scotland Partnership was able to attend, recognising the strong collaboration between our two countries that has been a key component of the success to date.

After an obligatory group photograph …

… Ruth and I had a photo taken with the newly qualified dentists, reflecting the previous and continuing collaborations between Malawi and Scotland to deliver the BDS degree at KUHeS:

In the first post I published on this blog on 23rd August 2018, entitled ‘The Journey begins’, I recognised the size of the task we had set ourselves to establish a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree in Malawi from scratch, and used the following quotation:

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”

Helen Keller

In achieving our ambition, we have worked with a multitude of partners who have contributed in many different ways to the realisation of the BDS degree at KUHeS:

Massive thanks are due to all of these organisations and to many individuals, without whom this fantastic group of young people would not have had the opportunity to train and graduate as dental surgeons in their home country. These new graduates, along with the 137 students now studying on the BDS programme, are the pioneers and leaders who will help The MalDent Project to achieve its mission of ‘Oral Health for All’ in Malawi.

Acknowledgement

The core funding from Scottish Government International Development for The MalDent Project is gratefully acknowledged.